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Down the Mine
Down the Mine is the twenty-fifth episode of the first season. In the US, it aired on the Shining Time Station episodes, Too Many Cooks in 1989 and Wrong Track in 1991. Plot One day while Thomas is waiting at the junction, Gordon, who is in disgrace after refusing to pull a goods train and falling into a ditch, pulls in with some trucks. As soon as Gordon stops, Thomas cracks a joke about ditch water. Before Gordon can respond, Thomas leaves with his coaches. Annie and Clarabel are shocked at Thomas' behaviour, and scold him for it. Thomas is pleased with his clever joke though and runs off to go to the lead mines, leaving his coaches still in shock. The mine was made a long time ago by miners who made tunnels under the ground. The roofs of the tunnels are strong enough to hold up trucks but not engines. At the points, there is a board warning engines not to enter the area. Thomas has often tried to pass the board, but has always failed. This time however, he has made a plan. When Thomas' fireman leaves the cab to change the points, Thomas bumps the trucks hard and knocks his driver off the footplate allowing him to pass the board. Then he moves over the unsafe rails, which collapse and leave him crashing into a chasm, and feeling very silly. Then the Fat Controller arrives, having seen everything. After telling Thomas off for his naughtiness, he begins to think about how to get Thomas out. A crane would be too heavy for the ground to support, so he decides to call in Gordon to pull Thomas out. Thomas feels uneasy about this, given how much he laughed at Gordon for his own accident. Shortly afterward with a winch attached to his buffer beam, Gordon heads to the rescue feeling much happier after hearing about Thomas's situation. Arriving at the mine, Gordon promises to get Thomas out "in a couple of puffs." A long cable is fastened between them and after a lot of hard work and pulling, Gordon is able to finally get Thomas out of the chasm. Thomas tells Gordon how sorry he is for his cheekiness earlier. Gordon accepts Thomas' apology and tells him that he found his joke very funny. Now both engines are in disgrace, so they agree to form an alliance and help each other in the future. With that, the two engines are coupled together and head back to the shed. Characters * Thomas * Gordon * Annie and Clarabel * Sir Topham Hatt Locations * Lower Tidmouth * Knapford * The Lead Mines * Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox Trivia * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Gordon the Big Engine. * This story was the pilot episode of the series. In the shot of Thomas at Knapford, his model from the original pilot is used. * Stock footage from Thomas and the Guard and Thomas and Bertie is used. * The buffers of the truck Thomas bumps into are lowered specifically so that Thomas can hit them properly. * Some of the trucks at the mine have "N.E." written on them. * A CGI recreation of the scene where Thomas falls down the mine was made for Blue Mountain Mystery. * In the Welsh version, Thomas is not seen bumping into the trucks. * The following events of this episode would later continue in the fourth season episode, Paint Pots and Queens. * According to Britt Allcroft, this episode and All at Sea were her favourites. * This is the first episode narrated by Dário de Castro in Brazil. * On its original broadcast, this episode was paired with Off the Rails. However, early VHS releases have it paired with Thomas' Christmas Party, as do Norwegian and Swedish broadcasts. * This is the first episode where all the characters who appear speak. * The Korean title of this episode shares the same name as the episode Thomas and Gordon, which was also from the first season. * The events of this episode were mentioned by James in Journey Beyond Sodor. Goofs * When Thomas shunts Annie and Clarabel, his eyes look wonky and Annie and Clarabel are missing their names. * When Thomas leaves Knapford Station, his model changes due to the fact it was taken from the pilot version. * The sign says: "Danger! Engines must not pass this board!" but when Thomas passes the board, it says: "Danger! Engines must not pass this point!" * When the Fat Controller says "I'm not sure," the man to the right is losing his cap's brim. * When Gordon and Thomas leave the mine, Thomas' wheels drag along the line for a few seconds before he blows his whistle. * When the narrator says "But Thomas didn't want to meet Gordon just yet," a small piece of hair is seen on Thomas' left side. * Thomas' side rods are in different positions after he is pulled out of the mine and when he and Gordon puff away. * When Annie and Clarabel say "He's dreadfully rude. I feel quite ashamed," Annie is facing the wrong way. Merchandise * Buzz Book - Thomas Down the Mine * Ladybird Book - Thomas and Bertie and Thomas Down the Mine * Book - Thomas and the Castle Home Media Releases de:In der Mine es:En la Mina pl:W Kopalni he:במורד המכרה Category:Season 1 episodes Category:Episodes Category:Railway Series adaptations